


Summers to Remember

by Quinnion



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Child Eren Yeager, Child Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Cussing, Eren gets angry a lot, Ereri Events, Ereri Summer Weekend, Fluff, I just want them to be happy, Just a very cute fic, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Angst, Teen Eren, as usual, merman eren, teen levi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-07-29 20:08:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7697791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinnion/pseuds/Quinnion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi meets Eren by chance when he's mourning his mother's death as a child and is surprised to learn that mermaids exist not just in the stories from his fantasy books. He befriends Eren but after their first meeting Levi doesn't come back for years. Will their friendship and possible romance survive? </p><p>Or just the cute fic with lots of fluff where Levi falls in love with a merman he meet as a child.</p><p>((This fic is my contribution to the Ereri Summer Weekend Event prompted by ererievents.tumblr.com and I'll be adding a chapter everyday from August 12 - 14))</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So this fic is my contribution to the Ereri Summer Weekend Event prompted by ererievents.tumblr.com, the prompts for each day are as follows:
> 
> August 12th: Unexpected  
> August 13th: Sea/Shore  
> August 14th: Moon and Stars
> 
> As you can probably guess, each of the three chapters will correspond to one of these prompts. The three chapters are all connected and in the same universe. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Levi stares off at the horizon and watches the gentle waves of the bay sway back and forth, he finds himself swaying along with the rhythm. He sniffles slightly and wipes his face, but that doesn’t stop the tears from coming. He hangs his head slightly as the tears roll down his face drip down into the seawater; creating small ripples that quickly disappear with the gentle rolling of the waves.

Levi’s feet are submerged in the water and he slowly swings his legs, moving his feet out of the water and then sinking them back inside again. Levi’s body trembles as he cries, memories of his now dead mother, Kuchel, plague him. He tries to remember the happy moments they had together but all that comes to him now is how her body slowly crumbled and gave up on her until she couldn’t move anymore. Levi witnessed her death and saw the light fade from her eyes as she exhaled her last breathe. He felt her hand become limp in his and cursed the world for taking his mother away from him when he was only just eleven.

The last week or two have been a blur; after Kuchel died Kenny, her brother, took him back to his house and arranged plans to bring him back to live with him in his apartment in the nearby city. Kuchel’s funeral was the second worst day of Levi’s life, second to her tragic death. Of course, Levi and Kenny attended along with a few of Kuchel’s close friends. Levi has spend the days after the funeral wandering along the beach, wanting to avoid the house that holds so many memories.

He lifts his head and wipes his face with the edges of his sleeve and looks up at the sky. When Levi looks back at the ocean he sees a head with a mess of brown hair pop up above the water. Levi gasps sharply and furrows his brow when he sees the person disappear back under the waves. He assumes he’s just hallucinating until a few seconds later when the head pops up again, this time much closer to himself. 

Levi’s eyes widen when he sees a beautiful green tail sticking out of the water behind the head. The creature looks up at Levi and frowns “Why are you crying?” it asks.

Levi yelps and jumps back “Fuck!” he curses as he scrambles back on the wooden deck. The creature sinks back down slightly in the water and moves closer.

Once Levi overcomes his initial shock he crawls to the edge of the deck again and looks down at the person, staring at its tail in fascination “Are...Are you a mermaid?” he asks.

The creature frowns deeply and sticks out its tongue “Do I look like a girl to you?” it says angrily. 

Levi looks away awkwardly and bites the inside of his cheek. “So.” he pauses for a moment. “You’re a boy? I didn’t know boys could be mermaids.” He mutters, “I didn’t even know mermaids existed.”

This only makes the creature angrier “I’m not a mermaid! I’m a merman” he says firmly, putting emphasis on the ‘man’ part of the word. 

Levi nods a bit and sighs “Okay. Sorry” he looks at his tail again “I like your tail” he mutters, not sure what to say.

The merman relaxes slightly and smiles, moving closer “I’m Eren. What’s your name?”

“Levi” he replies simply, moving to dangle his legs off of the deck again.

Eren grabs onto the post of the deck and pulls himself up slightly “So why were you crying?”

Levi looks down at his feet and feels tears build up in his eyes again “My mom died” he replies.

Eren’s expression softens and he nods a bit “I’m sorry” he mutters “I know what it’s like...My mom died a year ago too” he says.

Levi looks up at him sadly and wipes his face again “I’m sorry...What was she like?” he asks.

Eren smiles and looks out at the ocean. “She was so kind and caring,” he says gently. “She had the most beautiful tail I’ve seen.” He shifts his gaze back up at Levi. “What was your mom like?”

Levi fidgets with his fingers slightly. “She was gentle and loving and she always read to me before I went to bed.”

Eren nods slightly and exhales deeply; after a moment of silence he speaks up again, “Do you wanna come swim with me?” he asks.

Levi blushes slightly out of embarrassment and nibbles on his bottom lip “I...I can’t swim” he mutters. 

Eren gasps and shakes his head. “You can’t swim!? That’s horrible!” he exclaims. “I can teach you!” 

Levi smiles softly and thinks for a while before nodding. “Okay,” he says before he gets up. Levi walks down the deck back to the edge of the beach and Eren follows along side him in the water. Levi takes this chance to look at Eren’s tail and watch it as it moves up and down; the scales shimmering and sparkling rainbow colors in the moonlight.

When they get where the sea meets the sand, Eren props himself up in the shallow water while Levi slowly wades through the seawater, each of them approaching the other. Eren reaches out and steadies Levi’s body and takes his hand, their small fingers lacing together.

Eren smiles “Come on, I’ll help you” he says as he leads Levi deeper into the water. Levi follows Eren and chuckles as the soft sand squishes between his toes. 

“Levi?” someone shouts from the house on the hillside near the beach “Come inside! You need to start packing!”

Eren squeaks slightly at the sound and sinks back down into the water, hiding himself. Levi lets go of his hand “It’s okay, that’s my uncle” he reassures him.

Eren nods but stays hidden under the water, just the top of his head above the surface “You have to go?” he asks, his disappointment clear in his voice.

Levi frowns a bit and nods “Yeah” he says “But I’ll come back so you can teach me how to swim.”

Eren smiles brightly “You promise?”

“I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a kudos if you enjoyed it and comment too if you want!
> 
> I'll be posting chapter 2 tomorrow (8/13)


	2. Sea Shore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi finally visits Eren after fives years and Eren is pissed.

Levi doesn't come back to the bay the next day. Or the day after that. In fact, he doesn’t come back to the small town for five years. Eren remains hopefully for a few month after they first meet and goes back to the bay everyday. He spends time there for a few hours, waiting for Levi, and when the sun sets he slips back into the water, swimming to the underwater cave where he lives. Even though he’s given up hope that Levi will ever come back he still goes to the bay, not wanting to disappoint Levi by not showing up if he does end up returning. 

On a beautiful day in the middle of June, Levi steps back onto the beach after so many years. He sighs as he feels the grainy sand against his bare feet and starts walking to the deck where he first meet Eren, holding his sandals in one hand.

Levi remembers the day very clearly but he still can’t help question his sanity when he thinks about the merman. Only a few days after he meet Eren he moved away with Kenny and settled in his small apartment in the big city. Levi’s whole life seemed to move quickly; he enrolled in school there and took jobs during the summer to save money for college. He made a few friends and adjusted to the neighborhood relatively fast. Levi didn’t think about his promise to Eren until a few months later and he finally followed through.

Levi sighs contently as he sits down on the deck and dangles his legs off of the edge, the water now reaching his knees since he’s grown a considerable amount since then. He leans back and supports himself with his hands behind him pressing against the splintering wood. Levi stares out to the ocean and wonders if Eren forgot about him or maybe if he’s angry it took him so long to come back.

As the minutes turn into hours Levi’s mood slowly starts to drop; he wonders if Eren stopped coming to the bay and gave up, or maybe if he’s dead or living somewhere else. He watches the sun start to make it’s way to the horizon and is about to get up when he sees a familiar head bob up out of the water.

Levi grins when he recognizes Eren, he watches the merman swim over to him and shields his face with his arms when Eren suddenly splashes him with his tail “What took you so long!?” he yells. 

Levi wipes his face and frowns “I’m sorry...I moved away after we meet and didn’t have the time to come back” he mutters, knowing his excuse is pretty pathetic.

Eren doesn’t seem to accept the excuse and furrows his brow “Why didn’t you come back earlier?!” he yells.

Levi sighs shakily and looks down at his hands “I did want to...But this place… doesn’t hold happy memories,” he mutters. “With my mom and all,” he adds, not wanting to elaborate. 

Eren’s expression softens at that and he nods slightly. He pouts and swims closer, looking up at Levi “It’s fine, I guess” he says after a moment “At least you came.” They’re both teenagers now and have changed dramatically. Eren’s tail is much bigger and more colorful than Levi remembers, the baby fat on his face and body has shed away to relieve a lean build and angled face.

Levi smiles down at him and relaxes slowly “I never break a promise” he says “You still need to teach me to swim, you know” 

Eren’s face brightens up and he nods eagerly “Oh yeah! I also forgot” he exclaims happily.

Levi gets up and runs down the deck and up to the water, he makes his way into the water and once he’s waist deep inside Eren swims up to him. The merman takes his hand and leads him deeper into the water. Levi watches curiously as Eren swims, his tail gracefully moving through the waves. 

Eren stays close to Levi and once they’re a bit deeper he stops. He holds Levi up and shows him how to kick his legs to keep himself above water. Levi grins when Eren lets go and although his movements aren’t very graceful he’s able to steady his body in the water without Eren.

“You’re doing it!” Eren says excitedly, his chest swelling with pride as Levi starts to move, his arms paddling at the water. Eren starts to swim circles around Levi and brushes his tail against Levi’s legs. Levi laughs softly and tries to follow Eren although he’s much slower. He reaches out and touches his tail, his fingers running along the layered scales. 

Eren shows Levi how to lay on the water on his back and float on the surface. Once Levi gets the hang of it Eren lays back as well and takes Levi’s hand so they don’t float away.

Levi smiles and turns his head to look at Eren “You know, sea otters do this,” he says. Eren squints slightly in confusion. “They hold hands so they don’t float away,” Levi elaborates. Eren smiles and nods a bit, tugging on Levi’s hand to bring them closer.

They swim slowly and float on their backs until the sun starts to fade behind the horizon. The couple head back to the beach and sit down on the sand together Eren’s tail and Levi’s legs in the water. Levi leans back and breathes slowly as he watches the sun set, beautiful hues of orange and yellow dancing on the ocean’s surface.

Eren sighs contently “It really is beautiful” he whispers, his voice hoarse from laughing. Levi nods in agreement and turns to look at Eren as he puts his hand on top of the other’s. Eren blushing noticeably and smiles, he returns Levi’s soft gaze and leans forward until they’re faces are only a few inches away from each other.

Eren plants a quick kiss on Levi’s lips, barely giving the other enough time to kiss back. Levi smirks and scoots closer until their sides are pressed together. Eren’s tail moves slowly and wraps around Levi’s left leg. 

They stay like that, holding each other, well after the sun goes down. Once again, Eren makes Levi promise to come back to visit again and this time he makes sure to remind Levi to not take too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a kudos if you enjoyed it and comment too if you want!
> 
> I'll post chapter 3 tomorrow (8/14)


	3. Moon and Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi graduates college and drives back to the bay where Eren lives for the last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, sadly, this is the last chapter (it is short, sorry about that) but I really enjoyed writing this fic and hope you guys liked it too!

Levi makes good on his promise and visits almost every day that summer. Eren keeps teaching him how to swim and once Levi is good enough he brings him farther into the ocean to visit the cave he lives in. Eren shows Levi the wonders of the ocean and they grow closer each day. When the summer ends Levi has to go back to the city to continue his education. The goodbye is sorrowful but not without hope. Levi promises to come back the next summer and as he said before, he nevers breaks a promise.

Levi visits every summer and although he isn’t able to stay as long because of his various jobs he makes sure to see Eren at least three times a week. Levi graduates with honors and moves a few cities away to go to college; he studies education and psychology. He still visits Eren during the summers and tells him all about his life and the friends he’s made. Every once in awhile either one of them brings up their mother and they mourn together; their pain has faded but it’ll always be there, aching in the depths of their hearts.

Eleven years after they first meet, when Levi is twenty two, the young man drives back to the small town he grew up in for the last time. He parks his car in the driveway of the house he inherited from his mother’s will when he turned eighteen and immediately goes to the beach before he even takes his suitcases out of the trunk. He makes his way the familiar spot on the beach and sits down, swinging his legs. 

Levi waits there for an hour or two even if it’s already dark. Suddenly feels sometimes grab his leg. He yelps and tries to jerk his leg away but it doesn’t let go. Levi looks down and rolls his eyes when he sees Eren grinning up at him, gripping his calf with his webbed hands. Eren laughs loudly and lets go “You should have seen your face!” he exclaims “and that yelp thing you did was so funny!” 

Levi can’t help crack a smile “Yeah, you got me” he admits playfully. He pushes himself off of the deck and slips in the water. 

Eren moves back so Levi has some space and looks up at him “I’m glad you’re back” he says “I missed you.”

Levi smirks and blushes lightly “I missed you too” he says “I have a surprise for you Eren.”

Eren’s eyes light up “Really? What is it?” he asks excitedly. 

“I’m not leaving again” Levi says simply. 

Eren looks confused for a moment and then his eyes widen with realization “You mean...?”

Levi nods a bit “Yeah, I’m staying here. I’m moving back into my mom’s house, I got a job in the town as a teacher.” 

Eren laughs gleefully and lunges forward Levi, he throws his arms around him and presses his face against his shoulder. Levi gasps at the force of the embrace and returns it quickly “Well, I’m guessing you like the surprise” he teases.

Eren nods against his shoulder and when he sniffles Levi realizes he’s crying “Yes, this was the best present you could have given me” he mutters, his words muffled on his skin as tears roll down his face.

Levi threads his fingers through Eren’s hair and holds him against his chest as he kicks his legs to keep himself above water. He hums softly as he starts to move their bodies around in a circle. Eren pulls back after a while and leads him to the shore, he sits down on the sand with Levi.

The merman takes his hand and laces their fingers together as the cool seawater slowly caresses Levi’s legs and Eren’s tail. They lay back and stay close to each other, staring up at the moon and stars.

Levi smiles and sighs contently “I missed this” he whispers. 

Eren turns his head to the side to look at Levi “Missed what?”

Levi gazes at him warmly “I missed spending time with you like this” he replies “And looking up at the moon and stars.”

“Can you not see the moon and stars in the city?” Eren asks curiously.

Levi shakes his head “No, there’s too many lights at night and the smoke and pollution hides the moon most of the time.” 

Eren hums and looks back up at the dark sky again “That’s too bad, it really is beautiful.”

Levi keeps staring at Eren. “Sure is,” he replies, not talking about the sky anymore, “The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” 

Eren is oblivious and doesn't notice Levi is talking about him. “I’m glad you’re back.”

Levi smiles “Me too. I’m still sorry for all those years I didn’t come back” he says, truly feeling guilty. 

Eren rolls over onto his side and cups Levi’s face “It’s okay, you’re here now and that’s all that matters. You kept your promises after all.” 

Levi can’t help blush at that “I...I love you Eren,” he whispers.

Eren grins and leans close “I love you too.” Levi meets Eren halfway and presses their lips together, their eyes fluttering closed as they share a gentle kiss in the moonlight while the waves gently crash on the beach, rolling up and down the shore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a kudos if you enjoyed it and comment too if you want!


End file.
